*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of begum

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Old English be- Mi

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To daub or cover with gum.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Old English be- Middle English bi- English be- Egyptian qmybor. Egyptian qmytbor. Ancient Greek κόμμι (kómmi)bor. Latin cummis Late Latin gumma Anglo-Norman gomebor. Middle English gumme English gum English begum From be- + gum.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "be-",
        "4": "gum<id:substance>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der.\nProto-Indo-European *h₁épsder.\nProto-Indo-European *h₁épider.\nProto-Indo-European *h₁pi\nProto-Germanic *bider.\nProto-Germanic *bi-\nProto-West Germanic *bi-\nOld English be-\nMiddle English bi-\nEnglish be-\nEgyptian qmybor.\nEgyptian qmytbor.\nAncient Greek κόμμι (kómmi)bor.\nLatin cummis\nLate Latin gumma\nAnglo-Norman gomebor.\nMiddle English gumme\nEnglish gum\nEnglish begum\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*h₁éps\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₁ep-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₁épi\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₁pi\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*bi\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*bi-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*bi-\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"be-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"bi-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"be-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"id\" : \"substance\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"gum\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"anointing oil\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"redlink\", \"lang_name\" : \"Egyptian\", \"term\" : \"qmy\", \"lang\" : \"egy\" }, { \"id\" : \"gum\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"redlink\", \"lang_name\" : \"Egyptian\", \"term\" : \"qmyt\", \"lang\" : \"egy\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"κόμμι\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"cummis\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Late Latin\", \"term\" : \"gumma\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"la-lat\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Anglo-Norman\", \"term\" : \"gome\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"xno\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"gumme\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"gum\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"begum\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"begum\">\nFrom be- + gum."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "be-",
        "4": "gum<id:substance>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der.\nProto-Indo-European *h₁épsder.\nProto-Indo-European *h₁épider.\nProto-Indo-European *h₁pi\nProto-Germanic *bider.\nProto-Germanic *bi-\nProto-West Germanic *bi-\nOld English be-\nMiddle English bi-\nEnglish be-\nEgyptian qmybor.\nEgyptian qmytbor.\nAncient Greek κόμμι (kómmi)bor.\nLatin cummis\nLate Latin gumma\nAnglo-Norman gomebor.\nMiddle English gumme\nEnglish gum\nEnglish begum\nFrom be- + gum."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₁ep-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁ep-"
    ],
    [
      "*h₁épi",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁épi"
    ],
    [
      "*h₁pi",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁pi"
    ],
    [
      "*bi",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bi"
    ],
    [
      "*bi-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bi-"
    ],
    [
      "*bi-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/bi-"
    ],
    [
      "be-",
      "be-#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "bi-",
      "bi-#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "be-",
      "be-#English"
    ],
    [
      "qmy",
      "qmy#Egyptian:_anointing_oil"
    ],
    [
      "qmyt",
      "qmyt#Egyptian:_gum"
    ],
    [
      "κόμμι",
      "κόμμι#Ancient_Greek:_gum"
    ],
    [
      "cummis",
      "cummis#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "gumma",
      "gumma#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "gome",
      "gome#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "gumme",
      "gumme#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "gum",
      "gum#English:_substance"
    ],
    [
      "be-",
      "be-#English"
    ],
    [
      "gum",
      "gum#English:_substance"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To daub or cover with gum."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
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  ],
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

a high-ranking Muslim woman, especially in South Asia · the form of address for such a woman

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Classical Persian بیگم (bēgum), from East Turkic begüm, from beg (a title of nobility in Iran, Central Asia and South Asia) + -um (feminine suffix for titles of nobility). Compare Classical Persian خانم (xānum).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa-cls",
        "3": "بیگم",
        "tr": "bēgum"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Persian بیگم (bēgum)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "trk",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Turkic"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "fa-cls",
        "2": "خانم",
        "tr": "xānum"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Persian خانم (xānum)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "بیگم",
      "بیگم#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "beg",
      "beg"
    ],
    [
      "Iran",
      "Iran"
    ],
    [
      "Central Asia",
      "Central Asia"
    ],
    [
      "South Asia",
      "South Asia"
    ],
    [
      "خانم",
      "خانم#Persian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "a high-ranking Muslim woman, especially in South Asia",
        "the form of address for such a woman"
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 35521
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for begum →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YmVndW0